Every Christian parent longs for his children to trust in Christ and
to make this profession public. In Baptist churches such a profession is
made public through baptism. One of the ongoing discussions among
Baptists relates to the age at which children can or should be
baptized. Many children raised in a Christian home—perhaps even most of
them—profess faith at a young age. Many parents then ask, Should my
child be immediately baptized? Here is my attempt to answer
this question.
Defining Baptism
Baptism is an ordinance of
God given to the New Testament church. It symbolizes that the recipient
has been buried and resurrected with Christ and serves as public
profession of faith and admission into the local church community. It
precedes both membership and partaking of the Lord’s Supper, and as
such, is the gateway to full participation in the life of the church.
Three Premises
Here are three premises related to the age of baptism.
Premise #1 - Those who make a credible profession of faith are to be baptized.
Without exception, the New Testament pattern for baptism is that it follows a credible profession of faith (see Acts 8:12, Acts 9:36, Acts 16:29-34). What makes a profession of faith credible? I look for credibility to be displayed in knowledge and maturity.
Knowledge. For a
person’s profession of faith to be credible, he must display at least a
basic knowledge of the gospel and of the meaning of baptism. Baptism is
not a rite performed upon a person, but an ordinance in which he is a
full participant. Therefore the one who is baptized must have knowledge
of what is being done and why. Continue at Tim Challies
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